'Cloverfield' Sequel In The Works For Producer J.J. Abrams

It looks like the long-awaited sequel to the 2008 hit monster movie, "Cloverfield," is finally starting to take shape at Paramount Pictures and Bad Robot Productions.

According to Deadline, director Babak Anvari has been tapped by Paramount and Bad Robot to direct the film.

The original "Cloverfield" movie was first released in theaters in 2008. The film was a box office hit, grossing $172 million worldwide off of a $25 million budget. The original was directed by Matt Reeves, who went on to greater heights following the film's release, directing this year's comic book superhero extravaganza, "The Batman."

While a sequel to "Cloverfield" has been talked about for many years, it has yet to truly materialize. There have been other anthology-type installments with the "Cloverfield" name attached to the film, such as 2016's "10 Cloverfield Lane" and 2018's "The Cloverfield Paradox." However, there has yet to be a direct sequel to the original feature, but now it looks like it may finally get off the ground with this latest franchise movement.

As noted by Deadline, Joe Barton was previously tapped to write the script for the planned follow-up. J.J. Abrams' ("Star Wars: The Force Awakens," "Star Trek," "Star Trek Into Darkness") Bad Robot Productions is producing the sequel with Hannah Minghella and Jon Cohen. The original director, Reeves, is said to still be involved as an executive producer. The first film's original writer, Drew Goddard will also executive produce the sequel along with Bryan Burk.

British-Iranian director Anvari made his directorial debut in 2016 with "Under the Shadows," which was followed by "Wounds" in 2018. His latest film, "I Came By," launched on Netflix last month.

Details on the sequel are being kept under wraps for now. It is currently unknown how the sequel will link up to the first film, or the "Cloverfield" anthology predecessors, if at all.

The original movie was shot in a found footage format. It followed a group of young adults who are trying to escape New York City after it comes under attack by a giant monster. The film built a lot of buzz at the time of its release due to a viral marketing campaign.

Working on the "Cloverfield" franchise launched and elevated the careers of multiple filmmakers already. Case in point, Reeves with the first film and Dan Trachtenberg with "10 Cloverfield Lane." Trachtenberg went on to direct the "Predator" prequel, "Prey," released last month.

Julius Onah, the director of "The Cloverfield Paradox," is now directing "Captain America: The New World Order" for Marvel Studios, due out later in 2024. With that in mind, the directing gig could be a huge step in Anvari's career and bring him to much greater acclaim and big-budget projects.

Anvari's latest film, "I Came By," is streaming now on Netflix. The film stars George Mackay, Kelly Macdonald, and Hugh Bonneville of "Downton Abbey" fame. The planned sequel to "Cloverfield," directed by Anvari, does not yet have an official release date.